Author: Janet

On September 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. celebrate Connecticut’s farming and conservation heritage and share in a wonderful sense of community at the 23rd annual Open Farm Day at The Nature Conservancy’s Sunny Valley Preserve. Best of all admission is free.

Take a hay ride, pet farm animals, play a game and enjoy a selection of delectable goodies at Sunny Valley Preserve, located on 8 Sunny Valley Lane in New Milford. Sunny Valley encompasses more than 1,850-acres that straddles the Housatonic River in New Milford and Bridgewater.
Visitors can check out wool-spinning or maple-syrup making and dissect an owl pellet with “How Cool is That?!” Don’t forget to stop by the petting zoo to meet some gentle farm animals; then plan to visit Bruno, an African Spur-Thighed Tortoise and his friends from The Pratt Nature Center. Make sure to stop by our farm stand, and purchase some fresh produce to take home.

In addition to demonstrations, fair goers are invited to wander through many informational displays, inspect the antique and new farm equipment, pet the animals, enjoy a tractor ride, and sample some of the delectable goodies, which in the past have included pumpkin soup, fresh veggie burritos, along with hot dogs and fresh baked cookies prepared and served by the New Milford Youth Agency.

Sunny Valley Preserve was founded in 1970, when George D. Pratt Jr. donated multiple parcels of agricultural and natural lands to The Nature Conservancy. One condition of Pratt’s gift is that the farms be kept in agriculture as long as possible. Today, about 650 acres of the preserve are in active agriculture. The farms, leased by independent farmers, are privately-operated businesses. Farmers at the preserve grow diverse crops and sell most products locally, providing locally-grown food and enhancing the local economy. Open Farm Day is rain or shine. More information is available at www.nature.org/sunnyvalley or by calling the preserve at (860) 355-3716.

For more area event information www.litchfieldhills.com

Inspire a child’s literacy and save some money by donating a children’s book during Ocean Litera-“Sea” Weekend Sept. 19 & 20 at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

During the Aquarium’s Ocean Litera-“Sea” Weekend, each guest bringing a new or gently used children’s book will receive discounted Aquarium admission. Adults receive $5 off admission of $19.95. Children save $3 off the regular price of $12.95.

You can bring more than one book per person, but the discount does not multiply.

The book drive is part of The Maritime Aquarium’s Closer to Our Community initiative, which engages the popular family attraction (and its visitors) in ways that benefit the local community.

Donated books will go to Norwalk Reads, an organization that encourages reading though the distribution of free books and that supports literacy programs for all Norwalk children, especially those at risk. Learn more at www.norwalkreads.com.

Also Sept. 19 & 20, look for special story times, where invited guests will read a children’s book to young visitors.

The Maritime Aquarium is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate visitors about – and to create stewards for – Long Island Sound. It accomplishes this by allowing visitors to get close to more than 250 species native to the Sound and its watershed, including sharks, seals, sea turtles, river otters, jellyfish and other animals. One of the top places for family fun in Connecticut, the Aquarium also features hands-on educational programs and displays, public study cruises out onto the Sound, and Connecticut’s largest IMAX® movie theater, with a screen that’s six stories high. TripAdvisor.com reviewers rate The Maritime Aquarium among the Top 25 aquariums in the U.S. and the best in New England.

Learn more at www.maritimeaquarium.org or by calling (203) 852-0700.

The Historical Society of Easton and Easton’s Parks and Recreation Department,have teamed up to co-sponsor, a two day of living history event on Saturday September 19th and Sunday September 20th. There will be more than 125 re-enactors from the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment encamps on the fields of the Samuel Staples Elementary School and the action planned for this event will make it an unforgettable experience for you and your family.

On July 18, 1782, Lt. Ebenezer Morehouse was taken prisoner by a British raiding party of approximately 60 men who landed at Compo Beach, Westport from their schooner. The raiding party was bent on plundering and destruction. Also captured were Benjamin Allen, William Allen, Abraham Elwood, Thomas Phillips and Nathaniel Johnson. Morehouse so irritated his captors that the British marched to his farm and burned it.

Members of the 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment portraying Patriot and British Military Regiments will set up camp, perform drills, skirmish and recreate the burning of Morehouse Farm. Children can drill with the regimental soldiers and watch as they fire their weapons. Besides military drills and a cavalry demonstration, attendees may be amazed at a surgical demonstration highlighting the treatments and remedies available to the army surgeon on the colonial battlefields.

Visitors will be able to explore exhibits of uniforms, clothing and fashions of the day. A highlight is the early evening candlelit tour of the camp site and watching a cannon pyrotechnic demonstration. Through interaction with the reenactors, visitors will learn about life at camp and on the home front from soldiers, surgeons, cooks, spies, and other colonial re-enactors. A complete schedule of events can be found at http://www.historicalsocietyofeastonct.org.

The 5th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment is made up of local individuals who enjoy learning and teaching about early American history. Members include men, women, and children from the surrounding areas who are dedicated to the creation of a living history experience for their community. By including women and children in the regiment, a broader representation of colonial life beyond the military is brought to each event.

This Regiment was created in 1974 and is based on the original 5th Connecticut regiment which served during the Revolutionary War. The original 5th Connecticut was mustered in May 1775 as one of the six regiments formed by Connecticut in response to the events at Lexington and Concord, MA. It was made up of officers and men from Fairfield County. Easton (which was then part of Fairfield) would have sent soldiers to this regiment. Due to illness and casualties, the regiment only lasted one year. It was re-formed in early 1777 under the direction of Colonel Philip Burr Bradley. As the regiment was being mustered, the British launched the raid on Danbury and Colonel Bradley responded with roughly 50 untrained troops. The 5th Connecticut played a vital role in the defense of Ridgefield and two of its soldiers, Private Bradley Dean and Sergeant Clement Lloyd, were killed. The connection to local history makes this event a truly spectacular opportunity for the Historical Society of Easton.

The event will take place on Saturday September 19 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday September 20 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 515 Morehouse Road, Easton, CT.

The event will take place rain or shine. Food vendors will be on-site. Admission: For both days: $20 per Adult, $15 per Child, Children under 8 will be admitted for free. For one day: $15 per Adult, $10 per Child. There will be a $5 parking fee. A discount is available on tickets purchased prior to September 5th through the follow link: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1996120.

To learn more about the 5th Connecticut, please visit their website: http://www.5cr.org. For more information please contact the Historical Society of Easton at 203-292-3533, by email: hseastonct@gmail.com or visit our website: http://www.historicalsocietyofeastonct.org.

The 10th Annual Watertown House Tour will take place on Saturday, September 26 from 11am to 3pm, rain or shine. Six fabulous properties will be featured in this year’s tour including: The Academy and Woodward Chapel at 25 and 39 The Green, The Coachman’s House at 57 Academy Hill Road, The Buzzee House at 31 Woodbury Road, Summit Farm at 1180 Guernseytown Road, and The Griswold House at 61 Warren Way. The Watertown Historical Society Museum and the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street will also be open for viewing.

The Watertown House Tour is a benefit for the Watertown Historical Society and Museum in Watertown, CT. The Watertown Historical Society is a private, nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Watertown and Oakville’s history through the Museum.

Advance house tour tickets are $25 per person, and will be $30 the day of the tour. Tickets for this self-guided house tour and are non-refundable & can be purchased by mailing a check or money order to:
Watertown House Tour, 22 DeForest Street, Watertown, CT 06795. Checks should be made payable to the “Watertown Historical Society”. Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit card or Paypal at: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org

Tickets and maps will be mailed to those that make advance purchases. Advance orders must be received no later than Friday, September 18. Requests for tickets after this date will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the Museum.

House Tour tickets are available to purchase at the following retail locations: LaBonne’s Market in Watertown, Chubba’s in Watertown, the Health Complex, The Watertown Library, Hosking’s Nursery, Depot Square Farm Shoppe, and Jimmy’s of Watertown. House Tour tickets will also be for sale at the Watertown Farmers Market on Sept. 12 and the Watertown Fall Festival on Sept. 19. On the day of the tour tickets will be available at all of the businesses, all of the houses, and at the Museum, which will be tour headquarters. Call the Museum at 860-274-1050 or view www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Naugatuck RR, Fascia’s Chocolates and Haight Vineyard have teamed up to offer Chocolate Decadence and Sunset Train Tour on Friday, August 28, 2015 and Friday, September 25, 2015. Participants will enjoy a cocktail party beginning at 6 p.m. featuring music, Haight-Brown wines and appetizers. The train departs at 7 p.m. from the historic Thomaston Train Station for a scenic train ride to Fascia’s Chocolate Factory in Waterbury. Along the way there will be chocolate and wine pairings.

When the train arrives at Fascia’s participants will tour the factory and learn how chocolate is made before trying their hand at making their very own chocolate bar. Guests will enjoy chocolate lava cake, more wine and chocolates on the return trip to Thomaston Station.

On October 30 there will be a Chocolate Train for Halloween that departs at 6 p.m. Ghosts & goblins and everyone else will board the train at the Thomaston Station for a 6pm departure heading to the Fascia’s Chocolates Station where local businesses will be supplying Treats for all costumed riders. Inside the Fascia’s Chocolates factory riders will enjoy complimentary Hot Cocoa and Apple Cider and take home a very special Treat. Once everyone has completed their Trick & Treating, the train will depart back to the Thomaston Station. The Halloween Chocolate Train fare is $25 per person with a $5 discount for anyone in costume.

For reservations and ticket information http://www.rmne.org. For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

The Hollister House garden was one of only one of 50 to be included in the Garden Conservancy’s new book, “Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration – 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy. It was built over the past thirty-six years by the esteemed antiquarian dealer George Schoellkopf as an American version of an English manner, accommodating the Connecticut climate and soil, our New England landscape and history, and adding the special exuberance of lush English flower gardens. It’s a spectacular collection of distinct outdoor rooms— each with its own unique personality.

On September 12, is The Living Garden: Nature and Design https://www.gardenconservancy.org/news/hollister-weekend-v at the Heritage Hotel. This symposium is part of Geroge’s commitment to bring to Western Connecticut garden experts who can help garden enthusiasts, professionals, or those who just want a more beautiful home garden. It is a rare opportunity. Breakfast and lunch are provided. There will be a cocktail reception for networking, asking questions, and to buy plants ahead of the public sale the next day, and a book signing for the Conservancy’s book. Local Connecticut resident and garden author Page Dickey is the editor.

The Moderator for this event is New York Botanical Garden’s Todd Forrest, who is responsible for all aspects of horticulture activities and programs across the Botanical Garden’s 250-acre site, Todd was instrumental in the planning, construction, and planting of NYBG’s 11-acre Azalea Garden and the new Native Plant Garden. He also advises on seasonal events, exhibitions, and stunning horticultural displays.

A highlight of the weekend are the three highly knowledgeable speakers, Rick Darke, Sheila Brady and Bill Noble. Rick Darke is an author, photographer, lecturer, and biodiversity consultant and is considered to be a leading voice in the call for the home garden to be built around the constructs of biodiversity and sustainable beauty. His projects include parks, scenic byways, transportation corridors, corporate and collegiate campuses, conservation developments, post-industrial brownfields, botanic gardens, and residential landscapes.

Sheila Brady, from Oehme, van Sweden & Associates advocates for ecologically responsible design. She is a registered landscape architect and has been elected to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Recent projects include designing the Native Plant Garden and the Azalea Garden at the New York Botanical Garden and the National World War II and Martin Luther King memorials in Washington, DC.

Bill Noble, garden designer and preservation professional is the director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy, Bill worked to restore dozens of gardens across the U.S. His own garden in Vermont is included in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens and he lectures widely on garden history, design, and preservation.

A midday break will give garden professionals and enthusiasts an opportunity to meet and share ideas over lunch and to shop. Hickory Stick Bookshop will be at the Saturday symposium selling garden-related gifts and books and noted botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell will be selling her drawings.

After the symposium, participants are invited to a cocktail reception at Hollister House Garden in the nearby town of Washington, with early access to the Rare and Unusual Plant Sale that will be open to the public the following morning. Admission to the reception is included in admission to the symposium, but admission to the cocktail party and plant sale preview is also available separately.

Registrationsfor Saturday
Registration for the symposium and cocktail party, including early buying at the sale of Rare and Unusual Plants, is $180 per person for registrations for members of Hollister House Garden and the Garden Conservancy. To register on line http://www.hollisterhousegarden.org/event/

On Sunday, September 13 the weekend continues with the public portion of the plant sale at Hollister House Garden and the opening of exceptional Litchfield County gardens as part of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. For information on other gardens https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/all-events/litchfield-county-ct-open-day-4

Specialty vendors for the Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants will include:

Avant Gardens, North Dartmouth, MA
– Uncommon yet undemanding plants for New England garden
Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT
– Rare, unusual, and garden-worthy plants
Cricket Hill Gardens, Thomaston, CT
– Rare and unusual peonies as well as perennial landscape edibles
Falls Village Flower Farm, Falls Village, CT
– Outstanding perennial plants for the Tri-State region
Opus, Little Compton, RI
– Unusual perennials—under-cultivated but garden-worthy

Admission to the Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants at Hollister House Garden is $10, including Open Days admission to the garden.